It Takes Two
by Scatterbrained3
Summary: Oliver Queen doesn't think anything is missing from his and his daughter's life, but when they meet Felicity Smoak everything changes.
1. Chapter 1

AU – idea: Oliver with a kid

 **PROMPT:** " i asked you to babysit one time and now my child keeps asking when you will spend time with them again "

 **Summary:** Oliver Queen thinks he's got it all: a good life, good job, and most important of all, an amazing daughter. But when he meets Felicity Smoak he soon begins to understand just how much has been missing from their lives and how much better one person can make it.

* * *

 **I.**

The morning everything changed started home in a downtown apartment in Starling City.

A father and daughter getting ready to leave, standing next to one another in front of the bathroom mirror. Oliver trimmed his stubble while his daughter combed her dark blonde hair. When both were done they quickly grabbed their things out in the hallway.

"You got your backpack?"

"Uh huh," she nodded, presenting the purple backpack. "Two books, one to read and one for arts and crafts, pencils, snack box, and…"

"Hailey. Is that a flashlight?"

"… yes. But only a small one."

"Why do you have a flashlight in your backpack?"

"Dad. _Duh_. So I can always turn on the light." She wiggled the small green flashlight. "Dumbledore, remember?"

"Pretty sure Dumbledore used a candle."

"We don't _have_ any. I looked." Swinging the backpack onto her back, she started for the door. "And if you don't stop talking, we're gonna be _late_."

Oliver slung his own backpack over his shoulder and followed Hailey out the door. As she pressed the elevator up, he locked the door. When the elevator doors opened the operator inside gave Hailey a big, bright smile.

The young woman turned to Hailey after they got in. "So, kiddo. Where you off to today?"

"I'm going with Dad to work. We're going to Central City!"

The operator, with cropped auburn hair and a red jacket, smiled down at Hailey. "You sure you can keep up with your dad at work? Seen him push a lot of papers. Might get pretty boring…"

"I'll be okay. Got some stuff with me." Hailey tapped her backpack.

"Sitter called in sick," Oliver explained as the elevator hummed and vibrated beneath his feet. "For the sixth time this month…"

"Sounds like a real keeper. You know, in Opposite Land."

"Yeah," Oliver snorted. "You could say that."

When the doors opened on the bottom floor Hailey jogged out. She turned in the entrance and waved back at the operator who told them to have a great day, and then, with Oliver's arm around her shoulders, Hailey followed her dad out into the car he drove them both in to Queen Consolidated.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Oliver and Hailey found themselves in another elevator—one taking them up to Hailey's grandmother's office in Queen Consolidated. When he noticed Hailey shuffling weight back and forth between her feet, Oliver looked down, before tapping her shoulder. She looked up at him.

"You sure that backpack's not too heavy?"

"Dad. I'm _fine_. Seriously."

Oliver smiled one sided, one dimple deepening. "Just so you know, if you fall over, I won't help you up. I'm going to leave you lying and tell every single passing person they have to tickle you."

Hailey frowned. "You wouldn't do that…"

"Oh, but I would."

Oliver was joking—clearly. He knew that, at some level Hailey knew it too, but for a moment she looked so doubtful, so full of uncertainty that the memory of all the pain she'd experienced already in her young life came to the forefront of what Oliver saw when looking at her. It was more than his heart could take. He put an arm around her, dropping down to kneel next to her.

"I'll _always_ carry you, Little Tiger. Don't you ever doubt that, not even for a second." He waited until her lips softened before kissing the top of her head. "Come on. Let's go."

Moira's secretary knew they were coming, but when Oliver and Hailey arrived they could see through the transparent windows that Moira was on the phone. Documents were stacked next to her on the desk. Oliver stopped in the waiting room and picked Hailey up, hands beneath her arms, setting her down in the couch. From the tall windows behind them daylight shone in brightly, making everything lighter.

"Wait here just a moment," Oliver told his daughter.

Hailey reached for the Newton's cradle on the table and set it in motion. With the sound of even tick-tocks behind him, Oliver gave a polite, brief smile to Moira's secretary and moved for the office door. He was joined by a blonde girl with a ponytail coming up from behind him. He held the door open, let her pass through and together they walked into Moira's office. When the blonde saw Moira on the phone, she pushed the documents against her chest and stepped to the side, waiting in the capacious office.

Moira looked between them. She put a hand over the phone receiver and spoke in a low voice to Oliver. "You brought Hailey?"

"Her sitter called in sick this morning and school doesn't start til next week. What was I supposed to do?"

Moria's stern masked nearly slipped a second before she finished her phonecall. When she was done she waved the blonde over.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Queen." The young woman turned and looked at Oliver from, what he noticed, a pair of bright blue eyes. "And Mr. Queen too, since I'm kind of interrupting both of you…"

"Miss Smoak," Moira called. "What is it you wanted?"

She quickly handed over the documents. "These are the files you requested from the IT Department. And, since my boss was 'out of office'—" Bunny ears came and went, "—I've checked the numbers myself. Everything should be in order."

Moira nodded, getting out of her chair and focusing back on Oliver. "Honey, you know how much I care about Hailey. But a full day at the company, including a corporate trip back and forth to Central City? It's simply too much. I'll have to go alone."

"Mom," Oliver gritted out, "this is _my_ deal. I've worked it for more than a year. I'm going."

Felicity knew about the deal.

Or, rather, she knew about the project they made the deal for. She'd spent the last hour checking through the financial statement they were bringing with them from the IT Department. She also knew that for the past year Oliver had lead a project – his first project with a leadership role after having shadowed executives in various departments of Queen Consolidated for the past years – for the Medical Research Division QC started two years ago. The project was on developing equipment for cytotoxics, cancer treatment, and today they were headed to Central City to finalize negotiations to buy the patented system that would be integral for the compounding equipment used to produce cytotoxics. Moira already had a meeting with O'Neill Enterprises' CEO scheduled, so they decided to kill both corporate flies with one Queen-made stone.

Queens, who were now looking at each other like waiting out a storm. Moira already mounted the next argument in her mind; Oliver looked back with determination. The storm of the argument began rising between them, but before either got a word in—

"I can watch her."

Both Oliver and Moira stared at Felicity.

"I used to babysit when I was in school," she explained. "It's how I earned spare money for computers."

Oliver turned to her. "No offense Miss Smoak, but I don't even know your first name."

She held her hand out. "Felicity Smoak. MIT class of '09."

Oliver's lips softened. "Oliver Queen. College drop-out, but been busting my ass off trying to catch up the past four years."

Moira went to them. "Felicity was personally hired by your father. If you two will excuse me, I'm going to go say hi to my granddaughter."

Oliver blew out a long breath after his mother left. On one hand, they were travelling to Central City to finalize negotiations for a project he'd worked on for over a year… he'd been the one to propose developing equipment for cytotoxics to the Medical Research Division, kept pushing for research funding, the one who found out O'Neill Enterprises developed a patented system that fit their compounding equipment… long story short, it was _his_ deal. He'd been there every step of the way and knew it like the back of his hand.

On the other hand, he'd just met Felicity Smoak. Could he really trust her with Hailey, the most important part of his world? But there was something about Felicity… an air, something steady in her eyes and the way she looked at him. He found himself thinking she had eyes you could _trust_.

Felicity bit her bottom lip. "If you're worried I'm going to child-nap your daughter, or I'm a convicted criminal or something, I can assure you I'm not. Please, check me out."

Felicity winced.

"What I mean is I'm in your company record. You can check my record out."

Oliver was unable to tame his smile; it reached from his mouth up into his eyes.

Moira returned to the room, hand in hand with her granddaughter.

"Felicity," Oliver started, "this is—"

"Hailey." She extended her hand to Felicity, glaring at her father. "I have words, you know."

"You're also eight," he countered.

"And a _half_."

"Hi, Hailey. I'm Felicity Smoak. Nice to meet you."

Hailey readily shook her hand. " _Felicity_. I like your name." She observed Felicity's curly hair. "Can you teach me how to do braids? Dad braids my hair for me sometimes… but he's not very good at it."

"What are you talking about?" Oliver protested. "I'm the best."

Hailey shook her head at Felicity. "He's really not."

As Moira went over to her computer to fetch a couple of documents needed for the trip, Felicity crouched next to Hailey.

"I'll show you how to braid your hair." She fisted her hand; Hailey bumped it. "Hey Hailey. What's your favorite animal?"

"Only one? Uh… I really like dogs. And horses. I like rabbits, bunnies, cats…"

"Tell you what. How about you and I visit Starling City Zoo? After that we'll grab a bite to eat and maybe catch a movie. I've been wanting to see the new Pixar for _ages_."

"Me too!" Hailey turned to Oliver, whose eyes rapidly flipped between them. "Can I, Dad? Please?"

Oliver looked from his daughter's pleading face to Felicity. "Are you sure you're alright with this? We might not be home until late tonight…"

"Absolutely. I mean, assuming my boss is too. Give me a minute and I'll call him… if I can get a hold on him, that is."

Moira looked up from her desk. "Miss Smoak. You can take the rest of the day off. If anyone has anything to say about it, direct them to me."

Moira's cell phone went off, sharp and clear, and she told them she'd be outside taking the call. As she walked out, Oliver dug his keys out of his pocket and unhooked one, handing it over to Felicity.

"This goes to our place. The fridge is stuffed. Everything else, Hailey should be able to show you. She knows where everything is."

"Except for candles," she chirped.

Oliver huffed out a breath. "Go out and say bye to your grandmother."

Oliver handed Felicity some money after Hailey jogged out. "If you need more I promise I'll pay you back when I get home."

Felicity looked at the cash in her hand. "Do you always hand the sitter $500?"

"Apparently not often enough, considering this was the sixth time this month she stood us up."

"Yikes." Felicity grimaced. "Uhm… I'll text your phone. That way you'll have my number and you'll be able to reach me."

From the other side of the transparent glass, Moira tapped her phone on the window, indicating to the watch on her wrist. They had a plane waiting on them; it was time to go. Hailey smiled next to Moira, waving at both of them. Oliver and Felicity joined them out by the elevators, where Felicity let Hailey know she needed her things from her downstairs office before they could leave. Oliver settled his knees on the floor and hugged Hailey before he joined his mother.

"Just, behave. Alright?" he asked, turning in the elevator.

"I will," Felicity answered. "Proper food and we'll both brush our teeth before bed."

Oliver smiled in a way that lit his eyes and brought out his dimples. "I meant Hailey."

"Oh."

Felicity looked down; Hailey smiled adorably up at her.

"You're cute," Hailey told her after the elevator doors closed.

"So are you." Felicity tapped Hailey's shoulder. "So. What do you want to do first?"

"Uhm. Everything?"

"Right." Felicity pressed the elevator button. "Everything sounds like a good place to start."

* * *

All the way to Central City Oliver kept wondering if he'd done the right thing. He'd pretty much handed his daughter over to a stranger. Sure, a stranger with a good record, but what was she like as a person? He knew nothing about her. However, he did remind himself that Felicity Smoak had been hired personally by his father back when he was still running the company, and, adding to that, his own mother hadn't objected to leaving Hailey with her. That alone spoke volumes.

Then he reminded himself of other sitters he'd had and how he'd come by them: by recommendation, from people who they'd worked for before. He interviewed them, then he'd usually let them meet Hailey and observed how they got along; if Hailey approved they tried it out for an evening and saw what happened. Despite her age, Hailey was a better judge of character than he was. And she'd seemed to like Felicity. He trusted his daughter; she was a hell of a lot smarter than he was. He didn't know how he'd been lucky enough to have such a clever kid.

As the private plane went in for landing, Oliver smiled to himself remembering Felicity's verbal slip-ups. How she seemed so genuinely flustered was completely endearing, and he still remembered her eyes, deep and clear and true.

Maybe things would turn out alright after all…

* * *

"I haven't been here in years," Felicity admitted, entering the zoo.

Hailey and her walked under the brick-made beams into the actual zoo, where the park opened up to a path of different directions. Early spring clad the trees in a green that sparkled when sunlight hit the ferns; the wind had lost its biting chill. Twenty feet in the sounds of animals and children came through: in the distance they could hear goats bleat, the scratchy sound of zoo workers raking the path outside the barn left of where they stood, while children's shouts and laughter colored it all.

Hailey looked up at her. "Did you come here a lot when you were a kid?"

Felicity shook her head. "I didn't. I moved to Starling City six years ago. But when I moved here, I wanted to get to know the city, so I went to all the museums, the library, the zoo…"

"Like what they make us do in school."

"Yeah," Felicity chuckled, "A bit like that."

The two of them followed the graveled path leading out past the icecream parlors near the entrance. Felicity looked up at the rays of sunlight streaming through the ferns above. Spring was modest still, sweater weather and maybe a light jacket, but seeing the slow return of green felt a lot like hope.

Hailey looked up at Felicity again. "You work with computers, right?"

"I do. I can pull them apart and put them back together. I also really enjoy working with software - the codes that tell the computers what to do. That's what I'm doing right now at your family's company. I'm creating a new security system."

"Sounds like a lot of work."

"It is, but I like it. How about you? What do _you_ like?"

They walked past a large pot of recently planted pink and purple flowers; the color matched Hailey's backpack, currently resting on Felicity's back.

"Uhm. I like reading? And animals, I love animals. Also, I like icecream. Chocolate's my _favorite._ What's yours?"

"Mint chocolate chip."

"That's Dad's favorite, too." Hailey pushed hair back behind her ear. "I like watching movies with him. I like when he takes me to the park on weekends. I also like going to my friend's house - her name's Estelle and she's got this big suitcase of scented erasers she collects, and I like going through that. They also have two dogs. I _really_ like animals."

"Seems we've come to the right place, then." Felicity stopped at a fork in the path. It lead out into several different directions of the zoo, different parts with different animals. "Where do you want to start?"

Hailey looked at the map next to them. Her eyes grew larger. "They have snow leopards here. _Wow_."

Felicity smiled, holding her hand out. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

Oliver couldn't shake the dull worry in the pit of his stomach throughout the day. Well aware there was little he could do, 600 miles away, the lack of knowing what happened and how it happened still managed to get to him. He told himself he'd call Felicity after lunch, but the meetings drew out past noon and Oliver's opportunity to call them escaped him.

Now, hours into afternoon, they were going over details. As their VP went out to fetch contracts from his corner office, Oliver's phone buzzed in his pocket. Others around the table were busy talking, including his mother, so Oliver used the moment to fish his phone out.

He opened the message and a picture appeared: Hailey and Felicity standing either side of a goat. The caption read:

 _George sends his regards. We do too!_

Oliver smiled. He attempted hiding his growing smile behind his hand as he zoomed in on the picture. Hailey was smiling wide and all of her radiated; she looked like she was having a world of fun. On the other side of the goat, Felicity radiated too. She was beautiful, actually. Full smiling lips and a glow to her he'd missed this morning. She was lovely.

Oliver adjusted in his seat and typed out a reply.

 _Glad to see you're having fun_. _Say hi to George from me_.

Sliding the phone back down into his pocket, Oliver focused back on the meeting as the VP returned to the room. He refocused feeling relieved and reassured things were going well back in Starling City.

The image of two smiling girls and a goat named George got him through the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

An hour after midnight the door of a downtown apartment in Starling City gently creaked open.

Ahead of Oliver the apartment loomed silent. The hallway lamps surrounding the mirror were on, but with the light turned down low. Down the hallway Oliver could hint the living room enveloped in the same low light. Everything was quiet.

With his backpack slung over his shoulder, Oliver locked the front door quietly. He dropped the backpack on the chair by the hallway mirror. Passing Hailey's door, not entirely closed but left ajar, he paused. The little light that gleamed in fell across her bed, letting him make out the soft rise and fall of her stomach as she slept. He considered going in and kissing her goodnight, but seeing her calmly sleeping face he let her sleep. There was someone else he needed to check in with too.

He found Felicity in the living room, asleep on the couch with a book across her chest. The dimmed light of the lamp behind the couch cast her in a soft glow. Oliver let himself stand there a moment before he walked over and gently touched her shoulder.

She opened her eyes slowly. She blinked, the waters of her blue eyes calm. "Hey..."

"Hey back."

"What time is it?" Felicity asked, slowly putting the book on the table and her feet on the floor.

"A little after one."

Oliver watched her moments of wakening, the way her eyes were a little smaller behind her glasses, how she had an imprint from the cushion on her right cheek, a soft line, like drawn on with a thin charcoal pen. How all of her looked so soft, so warm. He had to look away, a glance at the floor, to remember himself.

"Sorry I got home so late. The meetings went on for longer than we thought and I couldn't get home any sooner."

"That's okay," she yawned. "How'd the meeting go?"

"Good. Damn good, actually." He smiled. "We closed the deal. The patent is ours. Now Medical Research Division has to implement the software to the equipment they developed, which might take a while but… we're on our way."

Felicity's tired eyes lit. "That's great, Oliver."

Oliver looked at the video game console pulled out in front of the TV. "Did you and Hailey have a good time? She wasn't a complete rascal?"

"We had a great time," Felicity assured. "We went to the zoo, the movies… she beat me at Mario Kart like seven times. I tried _actually_ winning against her, and let me tell you, not as easy as I thought. She beat me seven times out of ten. Actually beat me."

"If it makes you feel any better, she usually beats me _nine_ out of ten." Oliver angled a shoulder at the console. "Kids these days are born with those things."

"Hey. I grew up with Super Mario and assembled my first super computer at seven, and still. Hailey basically beat my butt right out of here. Which reminds me… I should get going."

Stretching her arms above her head, Felicity finally got up onto her feet. She grabbed the book from the table and handed it to Oliver.

"Do you mind returning this to Hailey tomorrow?" She glanced at the cover as he grabbed it, smiling a little. "It's been years since I read this."

Oliver's lips stretched. "You really read this?"

Felicity put a hand on her hip. "Oliver Queen. Are you mocking me for enjoying Harry Potter?"

Oliver held up both hands, including the book. "Absolutely not. Wouldn't dare."

"You better not. Those books are great."

A glint appeared in Felicity's eyes; Oliver's tired ones met it. She went on to grab her purse from the hallway and when Oliver joined her, he came walking pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You alright?"

"Yeah… just a headache. A full day spent in meetings and drinking a gallon of coffee will do that to you."

Felicity nodded. "Try a little cold water with lemon squeezed in it. Helps me when I've been staring at a computer screen all day. Well, that and eye drops."

Oliver smiled. "I'll try that."

Funny how he was smiling again. He seemed to do that a lot around her.

He walked Felicity to the door. He started wondering things, things like how he best told her how much he appreciated her saving his and Hailey's day; if it would be too much to thank her and also tell her how pretty she was; how even though he didn't know her he liked the person she seemed to be. He thought about things he wanted to ask her, get to know about her, things like, _so where do you come from?_ or dare himself to ask _do you want to get a cup of coffee someday?_

But he didn't ask any of those things. Instead he stood by the door, one hand on the frame as they waited for the elevator to ascend. He stood there, feeling indecision constrict and claw at him, until, finally, he said what he at the very least should say.

"Felicity… thank you for taking care of Hailey."

"You're welcome." She glanced past him to the bedroom door. "She's a great kid."

He smiled proudly, eyes crinkling. "She is."

Felicity walked into the elevator. Holding her purse against her chest, she waved a little before pushing back her hair. Like a thirty year old dork, Oliver waved back, feeling his chest warm like thaw after winter. He recognized that warmth, the hum of his heart from within.

After the doors closed, Oliver only knew one thing.

He couldn't wait to see Felicity Smoak again.


	2. Chapter 2

**II.**

A few days later Oliver showed up at Felicity's corner office with the largest bouquet from the flower shop down on the corner.

Felicity blinked, staring at the flowers. "What are these for?"

"I wanted to thank you for taking care of Hailey. I was hoping you'd let me buy you lunch."

Felicity looked again at the effervescent bouquet. Purple, pink and yellow flowers surrounded by small white ones enveloped in soft-looking wide leaves. Must have cost fifty bucks, at least. She glanced at the clock on the wall; five minutes to lunch. She deliberated a moment before finally looking at Oliver.

"Yes. And no."

He looked hesitant, suspended in doubt. Felicity reached for her purse and pulled out her wallet, quickly glancing inside.

"I'll tell you what… I still have 391 dollars and 50 cents left over since I watched Hailey. How about we use that to buy lunch?"

Oliver looked between the wallet and Felicity. "Would this still involve us sharing a meal?"

Felicity nodded.

"Then I'm in."

* * *

They went to the bustling corner deli, ordering burgers and sitting opposite one another in a red leather booth by the window. Cars drove past outside and people rushed along sidewalks, everyone heading somewhere fast. The smell of salty burgers, coffee and sweet doughnuts permeated the deli. Oliver listened to Felicity tell him about her and Hailey's day together, how, shortly after they had taken the picture with George the goat, he'd gored the woman taking the picture, which caused four other goats to come running over and resulting a cacophony of screaming scared kids. Chuckling, Felicity happily let Oliver know Hailey hadn't been one of them.

Oliver wiped his mouth on a napkin, burger done but half his fries left. "I'm going to be completely honest with you. Since you watched her, Hailey hasn't been able to stop mentioning you. She talks about you non-stop."

Felicity drank from her soda, faintly smiling. "I really enjoyed spending time with her, you know. She really is a great kid."

"She is," he nodded assent. He popped two fries in his mouth. "Look, about that… here's the thing. My mom asked me to accompany her to a meeting with some investors on Friday. It's scheduled for noon, but after the meeting there's a conference and demonstration… long story short, it'll take the whole day." He paused. "I was wondering if you could watch Hailey for me."

Felicity watched him over the edge of her soda, eyes deep and clear. Oliver drew in a new breath, trying to keep his fidgeting fingers still.

"You don't have to," he added. "But if you could, I know it'd make her really, really happy."

Felicity's eyes narrowed barely a second. "I've promised two of my friends to go shopping, but. Give me a moment, one text and a couple of minutes to see if they can do Thursday instead."

Oliver couldn't explain why, but for some reason the thought of spending a little more time with Felicity made him happy. It was absurd, he knew. But still there it was, a little flutter of happy in his stomach. He held on to it like hope.

He glanced at his watch. "Do you want coffee? I can get us coffee."

"Sure," she replied, texting away.

Oliver returned a moment later with a tray of two coffees with sugar and milk on the side.

"I didn't know how you took yours, so I…"

"Milk and just a little sugar."

Felicity reached for hers, as Oliver grabbed his, black. When she set it down her phone vibrated in her pocket; she quickly fished it out, a fast smile beaming out from her like a small sun.

"Mike and Al can do Thursday. So that's a yes on watching Hailey for you."

"That's great," he smiled. "She's going to be over the moon when I tell her."

He watched Felicity blow on her coffee before drinking. The moments passed comfortably, Felicity looking out the window, watching people on the streets walking, talking, smiling. Sitting there Oliver forgot about time; he couldn't even feel it. He was content to just sit there with her, watching her watch people, wondering what was going through her mind.

Eventually Felicity adjusted in her seat. "I really need to get back to work or my so-called boss is going to kill me. Which, in his world, means sending a lot of messages through the intranet until I can't actually do my work unless I turn notifications off."

Oliver stood up with her. "I'll stop by your office Friday morning with a key."

Felicity nodded, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "Oh, wait. She's back in school this week, isn't she? Hailey, I mean. Want me to pick her up from school?"

"If you could, that'd be great." He grabbed his wallet but Felicity stopped him, a hand reaching on his arm. He glanced down at her small hand, with pink nail polish that reminded him of the flowers earlier.

"Nuh-uh, mister. You agreed we'd use the money you gave me to watch Hailey, so that's what we'll do."

"Okay," he chuckled. "Sure."

Oliver watched Felicity pay their bill over the counter, waiting for her at the entrance and holding the door open for her before they walked out together.

He found himself thinking that was something he could get used to.

* * *

Felicity and Hailey spent Friday walking through the park and visiting the nearby arcade.

After the arcade they stopped by the nearest Belly Burger. Hailey finished her fries before her burger, and, after she was done, Felicity offered her some of her fries. Over by the entrance a family with five happy-bustling kids entered; one wore a shirt from Starling City Zoo.

Felicity glanced across the table at Hailey. "Did your mother ever take you to the zoo when you were younger?"

"I don't think so. We lived in Central City when I was little, then she died when I was four."

Felicity gently squeezed Hailey's wrist. "I'm sorry for your loss, Hailey."

Hailey looked up at her, brown eyes soft. "Thanks. It's alright, mostly. I think it would have been different if I were older. But then I also would've been sadder. There would have been more to remember and more to lose. … if that makes sense."

"Yeah," Felicity nodded. "It does."

She wasn't going to press Hailey on the subject; if Hailey wanted to tell her more about her mother, she would eventually.

Hailey dipped her fries in ketchup, munching on a few before looking again at Felicity.

"What about _your_ mom?" she asked.

Felicity snorted, looking down at the table. "My mom lives in Las Vegas. I moved out to go to college, then from college to here, Starling City." Felicity finished her soda, then tapped Hailey on the knee. "Know how your dad was in Central City the other day? I almost ended up living there myself."

"You did?"

"Mhmm. Right before I finished college I got a couple of job offers. One of them was right here in Starling City and another in Central City."

Hailey wiped her hands on a napkin. "Why'd you choose here?"

"I liked Starling City better. Robert Queen, your grandfather, offered me a job in person… and it felt _right_. When it comes to important decisions like that, you should use your head and make a smart choice, but make sure it's one that feels _right_. Starling City felt right to me. Still does."

Hailey contemplated a moment. "But if someone were to make you a really, really good job offer somewhere else? Would you take it?"

"I don't know," Felicity chuckled. "I'd have to see what they offered and what my life is like then. Right now I like it at your family's company. I'm not going anywhere."

There was a comfortable pause before Felicity looked over her shoulder.

"Although right now… I could go for icecream. How about you?"

Hailey beamed. "Yes please!"

When Felicity came back, Hailey told her about her best friend Estelle and what they got up to when they were together. Estelle lived four blocks away from Hailey and Oliver, in an old townhouse stacked between two taller buildings, together with her mom, dad and their dogs. Hailey thought of someone else she liked spending time with.

"Then there's Uncle Tommy," she said. "I really like him. He's really funny. He does magic tricks sometimes."

"I haven't met him," Felicity said earnestly. However, she remembered reading about him and Oliver in the newspapers when she first moved here six years ago. During those first months she remembered frequently reading about Oliver Queen and his wingman Tommy Merlyn in the tabloids, until a year or so later, when they suddenly stopped appearing altogether.

Felicity did the math quickly. Looking at Hailey, she was pretty sure she knew the reason why.

She nudged Hailey's leg. "You want to walk through the park before we get back to my car?"

Hailey nodded eagerly.

"Come on. Let's go."

* * *

This time when Oliver got home, he found them both asleep on the couch.

Hailey was draped against Felicity's side and both had a dark grey blanket covering them. He thought about waking them but couldn't, he just… couldn't. Hailey rested her face so sweetly against Felicity's stomach, and both of them looked so peaceful he didn't want to disturb them.

And he wouldn't have, if Felicity hadn't woken up.

"Oliver…?"

"Ssh," he soothed, bending down and gently scooping Hailey up into his arms. His daughter snuggled against him as he carried her, and didn't wake up when he laid her down in bed. Pulling the purple covers up, he kissed her forehead before quietly closing the door.

He met Felicity in the living room, standing by the couch. Her hair was mussed, a little curlier than he remembered it that morning in the office when he'd handed her the key, and her arms were draped around her upper body. She looked tired but at the same time soft and sweet.

"Sorry about falling asleep." She hid a yawn behind her hand.

"Don't apologize," he said softly. "It's nearly midnight." Taking another look at her, noticing how tired she really seemed, he only considered a moment. "Hey. Why don't you spend the night? You can take my bed, I'll take the couch, and I'll make you and Hailey pancakes in the morning."

"The couch is fine," Felicity said after considering. "But I'll definitely take you up on those pancakes if you don't mind."

"I don't," Oliver smiled. "At least let me get you a blanket and a pillow."

When Oliver reemerged from his bedroom, Felicity had already laid back down on the couch. Her face rested against the arm rest, her breath coming out in soft even puffs. He didn't dare wake her this time either. Instead, Oliver lowered the blanket over her sleeping form, making sure to be careful placing the pillow behind her neck. This close he noticed that she smelled like vanilla and… something else he couldn't catch, something that was all her. It hammered up Oliver's heart in a thrilling way he'd forgotten all about. He found himself pausing in the frame of his bedroom door, watching Felicity sleep, the soft rise and fall of her stomach beneath the blanket, how her full lips were slightly parted. His breath caught in his throat.

With one last look Oliver went into his bedroom and closed the door.

He fell asleep smiling, dreaming of pancakes.

* * *

Next morning Hailey pitter pattered out into the kitchen, smelling pancakes on the way. She found her father at the stove, in sweats and a t-shirt, having already made half a plate.

"Morning sleepyhead." Oliver turned a pancake on the stove.

"Mornin'." Hailey rubbed an eye, morning light streaming in from the kitchen window in thick rays.

"You hungry, Little Tiger?"

"Starving." She clambered up onto a kitchen stool. "That's a lot of pancakes, Dad."

"Mhmm. Don't know how many Felicity wants and I wanted to make sure there were enough."

"Felicity?" Hailey's face lit up. "She's still here?"

"Sure is. She's an even bigger sleepyhead than you. Why don't you go out and get her?"

Hailey didn't waste a second. She hopped off the stool and ran out into the living room - startled awake, next thing Felicity knew she was getting attack-hugged good morning.

"Hey, Kiddo!" Felicity coughed a little. "Morning."

"Felicity! Dad told me you were still here. He's making pancakes."

"Pancakes, huh?" Felicity sniffed the air. "Oh, that smells _good.._."

"Yep. You ready to go?" Hailey hopped off the couch, standing ready. Felicity slowly let her feet touch the floor, throwing the blanket to the side. She rubbed at her eyes, took a drink from the glass of water on the table that someone had put out for her, then stood up and let Hailey take her hand and lead her out into the kitchen.

Oliver greeted them both with a big smile. "Hey. You sleep alright?"

"Like a log." She motioned around the kitchen. "This smells like heaven." She settled next to Hailey on one of the kitchen stools by the kitchen island.

Flipping a pancake on the stove, Oliver nodded to Hailey. "Hey, help me get some stuff for the pancakes out."

"Okay." Hailey got a small kitchen ladder and started pulling out plates, glasses, and a juice packet. Felicity could smell freshly brewed coffee; her stomach rumbled.

"Hey, Little Tiger. Go check if we have any blueberries in the fridge."

Ten minutes later, a plate full of pancakes, three plates and a whole lot of sides to go with it all, the three of them sat around the kitchen island ready to dig in. The smell of pancakes, bacon and coffee drew through the air, as they passed around orange and apple juice and dug in.

"How do you like your pancakes, Felicity?" Hailey asked.

"I'll show you." Reaching, Felicity grabbed the bottle of maple syrup. Slowly, she started pouring. "With lots and lots of maple syrup."

Oliver grabbed bacon from the plate with a fork. "Anyone want any?"

Hailey shook her head.

Felicity glanced at it. "Next pancake."

"Hailey usually says no, then by the end of the meal ends up stealing my last slices."

"Do _not_." She glared at her dad, but when he raised both eyebrows, her expression faltered. "… alright, maybe once or twice."

"How about _every single_ time?"

Oliver drank some coffee as Hailey stuck her tongue out at him. Felicity smiled, munching on her maple syrup pancakes.

As they ate, Hailey told her father all about her and Felicity's day together. Between bites she eagerly spoke about the games at the arcade and Oliver listened and watched, mesmerized by Hailey's happiness. Eventually she had to pause, grab a new pancake and drink some orange juice. A new thought occurred to her.

"Dad. Do you think Rusty will be there today?"

"We'll find out when we get there, Tiger."

"Oh!" Hailey turned to Felicity, knocking elbows. "You want to come with us?"

Felicity wiped her mouth on a green napkin. "It's sweet of you to ask, but I don't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't," Oliver shot in. "Every Saturday we go to the park. Visit the zoo, Hailey rides a pony. If there's anything good showing we'll catch a movie and a bite to eat, or we'll come back home and cook dinner together. Maybe watch a movie here… fall asleep on the couch. I usually conk out before Hailey does."

Felicity smiled faintly putting the mug down. She considered, before putting both elbows on the surface of the kitchen island.

"I'll tell you guys what. I have a dinner date with some friends tonight, so I can't stay the whole afternoon. But I'd like to come with you guys to the park." She looked between them. "If that's alright with both of you."

Oliver gave Hailey a nod. "What do you say, rascal?"

"I say yes and please and that sounds like _fun_."

Oliver chuckled. "Alright. Go brush your teeth and get changed. I'll clean up." After Hailey hopped off her chair and jogged out into the bathroom, Oliver turned to Felicity. "You sure you're okay with this?"

She finished her coffee. "Absolutely. Hailey's right; it does sound like fun. I haven't been to the park this often in years."

Oliver got off the kitchen chair and started clearing the table.

"I didn't used to go before Hailey, either." His voice lowered a moment. "Before her mother died… I never had a reason to. I mean – what reason did a party animal have to visit the park, right?" His voice speaking about a past version of himself brimmed with disdain. It turned softer when he eyed the space Hailey occupied before. "But then I started taking Hailey there… we'd visit the animal's den, and I saw how happy that made her. So I started taking her more often, made sure we brought some food with us. It made her whole weekend. Seeing her that happy made _me_ happy." He grabbed the empty plate of pancakes and put it in the dishwasher. "We've gone every Saturday since Hailey was five years old. My mom's come with us a couple of times."

Felicity snorted. "Have a real hard time picturing Moira Queen petting goats."

Oliver chuckled. "I had, too. She sure didn't take me to the park as a kid. Had the nanny do that." He grabbed the last two plates Felicity handed him. "But with Hailey it's different. I don't know why."

"Maybe she wants to be there for Hailey, give her another woman to relate to? I mean, no offense Oliver, you're plenty _strong_ and all, but you're not exactly female."

He snorted.

Hailey appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Come _on_ , you two. I've already brushed my teeth."

"Alright," Oliver nodded. "Let's get ready."

* * *

Oliver and Hailey introduced Felicity to their Saturday routine at the park. They arrived a little before noon, heading straight to the animal's den so Hailey could check on Rufus. Felicity got to meet him: a shaggy but happy-looking roan gelding whose front mane reached all the way down to his nose. Once Hailey had given him an apple, she'd greet the other ponies in the barn, before moving on to the goats and hens. Every now and then there would be chickens; if they arrived at the right time the children would help give them feed. A taste of farm life smack in the middle of a metropolitan city.

From the barn Hailey and Oliver would move on to the part of the park that opened up to wide green spaces, large grassy lawns. On those lawns people walked dogs, played ball, sports, sat around on blankets, not unlike what they intended to do presently. Jackets helped keep them warm. A little past where the trees opened up to the park there was a large, grey rock. Oliver helped Hailey up onto it, before he climbed onto it himself, and their routine would have them sitting there eating the lunch he brought with them.

Today Hailey wasn't the only one Oliver helped onto the rock. He put his hands out for Felicity to use as buttress, hoisting herself up and sitting down next to Hailey on the rock. Oliver joined them with lunch shortly thereafter.

"So you do this every Saturday?" she asked, munching on a BLT sandwich.

"Uh-huh," Hailey nodded. "Well, there was this one time a couple of months ago when I had a really bad cold, and Dad said I couldn't go."

"He was probably right with that, you know."

Hailey shrugged. "He took me the next week and let me stay an hour extra, so. There's that."

Next to Felicity, Oliver shook his head, eyes smiling. "Day's not even halfway through and I'm already getting badmouthed."

Felicity knocked her leg against his. "Something tells me you can take it."

Oliver smiled over at her, and not for the first time, Felicity noticed he had a smile that _warmed_.

Suddenly Hailey mushed her sandwich paper together. Oliver glanced at her.

"What's up?"

"Pony riding starts in twenty, Dad. If we don't get there early I might not get Rufus!"

"Alright, alright…"

As Hailey hopped down the rock, Oliver gathered together the sandwich paper with Felicity's help. For a brief moment as she handed him a set of napkins their fingers brushed together; both of them stopped. Oliver's finger slid over Felicity's palm softly, slowly, before his eyes darted up at her. The sun shone bright and strong behind the clouds, but her eyes were brighter.

"Guys, come _on!_ "

Oliver hopped off the rock. He helped Felicity down and together the three of them headed back to the barn. Felicity stuck around and watched Hailey ride two rounds in the park on Rufus' back, following a leader in the front, staying with Oliver by the barn as the group of ponies rounded the grove.

"Didn't figure you for a horse guy," Felicity said, arms leaning on elbows as they stood waiting next to one another by the fence.

"I'm definitely not," Oliver shook his head. "But Hailey likes it. It makes her happy. As long as she's happy… I'm happy."

There was something about the way he said that that made Felicity hesitate. It was only there a moment, a mental frown, before she let it go.

* * *

After Hailey's ride the time neared four in the afternoon, so Felicity let Hailey and Oliver know she had to get going.

"I forgot about the part where you have to leave," Hailey said sadly, brushing dirt from her hands on her pants. "When are you going to watch me next time? Dad, she has to."

His daughter looked at him pleadingly. His mouth opened on empty words, a second passed, then he looked between her and Felicity.

"Does Wednesday work for you? I have an afternoon meeting with the Research Division that might run late. I… _we…_ both understand if you're busy, but if you had time to watch Hailey we would both be grateful."

Felicity looked down at Hailey, a little girl with a blazing smile.

"Sure," Felicity nodded. "I'd like that."

Bending down, Hailey threw her arms around Felicity and hugged her tightly. Letting go, Felicity rose and looked at Oliver. He opened his arms and embraced her; a warm, quick hug that left both of them wanting more when they parted.

"I'll see you on Wednesday, Felicity Smoak."

Oliver stood with his hand on his daughter's shoulder, watching her walk away. She briefly turned around, smiled, waving at them – Hailey gladly waved back – and Oliver's heart skipped a beat.

Wednesday couldn't come sooner.


End file.
